Weibo Scraper - Chinese Social Intelligence

Extract posts, profiles, trending topics, and comments from Weibo (微博) — China's Twitter with 580M+ monthly active users. No API key needed, no browser needed, no VPN needed. The only quality Weibo scraper on Apify.

How to scrape Weibo in 3 easy steps

1. Go to the Weibo Scraper page on Apify and click "Try for free"
2. Configure your input — choose a mode (hot_search, post_comments, search, or user_posts), enter your keywords or post IDs, and set the number of results
3. Click "Run", wait for the scraper to finish, then download your data in JSON, CSV, or Excel format

No coding required. No API key. Works with Apify's free plan.

Part of the Chinese Digital Intelligence Suite

Built by Zhorex — the only developer on Apify specializing in Chinese platforms:

• RedNote (Xiaohongshu) Scraper — China's Instagram + Pinterest (social commerce)
• Weibo Scraper — You are here (microblogging, public opinion)
• Zhihu Scraper — China's Quora (Q&A, expert opinions)
• Bilibili Scraper — China's YouTube (video, danmaku, creator analytics)

Together, these cover the four pillars of Chinese social media intelligence.

What is Weibo?

Weibo (微博) is China's dominant microblogging platform — think Twitter meets Instagram. With 580M+ monthly active users, it's where Chinese public opinion forms, brands communicate, and news breaks. Government officials, celebrities, and brands all maintain active Weibo accounts.

Weibo API alternative

There is no official public Weibo API available for international developers. Weibo's developer API requires a Chinese business license, has severe rate limits, and returns limited data. This Weibo Scraper is the best Weibo API alternative in 2026 — it extracts trending topics, posts, comments, and user profiles without any official API access. No Chinese business registration needed.

Use Cases

Who	Why
PR & Communications	Track brand mentions in real-time on China's public square
Market Research	Monitor what's trending among Chinese consumers
Influencer Marketing	Find and evaluate KOLs by followers, engagement, verification
Competitive Intelligence	Track Chinese competitor announcements and campaigns
Geopolitical Analysis	Monitor public discourse on policy and international topics
Journalism	Access Chinese public opinion data for reporting
Academic Research	Study Chinese social media behavior and trends

Scrape Weibo with Python, JavaScript, or no code

You can use the Weibo Scraper directly from the Apify Console (no code), or integrate it into your own scripts with Python or JavaScript.

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("zhorex/weibo-scraper").call(run_input={
    "mode": "hot_search",
    "maxResults": 50
})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });
const run = await client.actor('zhorex/weibo-scraper').call({
    mode: 'hot_search',
    maxResults: 50,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => console.log(item));

Features

Mode	What it does	Cookies needed?
Hot Search / Trending	Real-time trending topics with heat scores and categories	No
Post Comments	Comments + post detail with engagement metrics	No
Search Posts	Find posts by keyword (with cookies) or hot timeline (without)	Optional
User Posts	User profile + posts from specific accounts	For posts only

• No browser needed — Pure HTTP, runs in 256MB RAM
• No VPN needed — Globally accessible endpoints
• Automatic session — Visitor cookies obtained automatically
• Rate-limit handling — Exponential backoff on 418/429 errors

How to Use

1. Trending Topics (no cookies needed)

Get the current Weibo hot search — the real-time pulse of Chinese internet.

{
    "mode": "hot_search",
    "maxResults": 50
}

2. Post Comments (no cookies needed)

Extract comments from specific posts. Provide post IDs (mid) or detail URLs.

{
    "mode": "post_comments",
    "postIds": ["5285773987283226"],
    "maxComments": 50
}

3. Search Posts

Search by keyword. Without cookies, returns hot timeline posts as a fallback. With cookies, searches the full index.

{
    "mode": "search",
    "searchQuery": "人工智能",
    "maxResults": 50,
    "cookieString": "SUB=your_sub_cookie_value"
}

4. User Posts

Get profile info (always works) + posts (requires cookies). Provide numeric user IDs or profile URLs.

{
    "mode": "user_posts",
    "userIds": ["1642634100"],
    "maxResults": 50,
    "cookieString": "SUB=your_sub_cookie_value"
}

How to Get Cookies (for Search & User Posts)

1. Open weibo.com in your browser and log in
2. Open DevTools (F12) → Application → Cookies → weibo.com
3. Copy the value of the SUB cookie
4. Paste it in the cookieString field as: SUB=your_value_here

The cookie typically lasts several days before expiring.

Output Examples

Trending Topic

{
    "rank": 1,
    "title": "人工智能最新突破",
    "category": "科技",
    "hotValue": 2847562,
    "labelName": "热",
    "isHot": true,
    "url": "https://s.weibo.com/weibo?q=...",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-10T12:00:00Z"
}

Post

{
    "postId": "5285773987283226",
    "text": "介绍一下我的老婆！@金莎",
    "createdAt": "Wed Apr 09 12:49:23 +0800 2026",
    "repostsCount": 493,
    "commentsCount": 4549,
    "attitudesCount": 97438,
    "authorName": "孙丞潇",
    "authorId": "7511222755",
    "authorFollowers": 0,
    "authorVerified": false,
    "images": ["https://wx1.sinaimg.cn/large/..."],
    "videoUrl": "",
    "isRepost": false,
    "postUrl": "https://weibo.com/7511222755/5285773987283226",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-10T12:00:00Z"
}

Comment

{
    "commentId": "5285813927600208",
    "text": "恭喜恭喜！神仙眷侣，一定要狠狠幸福哦~",
    "createdAt": "Thu Apr 09 12:51:31 +0800 2026",
    "likeCount": 1268,
    "authorName": "吃瓜罗伯特",
    "authorId": "6108685154",
    "postId": "5285773987283226",
    "postUrl": "https://weibo.com/detail/5285773987283226",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-10T12:00:00Z"
}

User Profile

{
    "userId": "1642634100",
    "screenName": "新浪科技",
    "description": "新浪科技是中国最有影响力的TMT产业资讯及数码产品服务平台",
    "followersCount": 23785876,
    "friendsCount": 3875,
    "statusesCount": 213546,
    "verified": true,
    "verifiedReason": "新浪网技术（中国）有限公司官方微博",
    "profileUrl": "https://weibo.com/u/1642634100",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-10T12:00:00Z"
}

Content is in Chinese

All content is returned in the original Simplified Chinese. Weibo is a Chinese-language platform — posts, comments, trending topics, and user bios are in Chinese.

If you need English translations, pipe the output through a translation API (Google Translate, DeepL, or Claude).

Technical Details

• Data source: Weibo desktop AJAX API (weibo.com/ajax/)
• Authentication: Automatic visitor cookies via Sina Visitor System
• No browser: Pure HTTP requests with httpx — fast and lightweight
• Memory: Runs in 256MB RAM
• Rate limits: Built-in delays and automatic retry with exponential backoff
• Globally accessible: No VPN or proxy required

Pricing

$5 per 1,000 results (pay-per-event)

Each scraped item (post, comment, trending topic, or profile) counts as one result.

Limitations

• Search and user posts require login cookies (SUB) — see instructions above
• Hot search and post comments work without any cookies
• Only public data is accessible — private/locked accounts are not available
• Weibo may rate-limit requests during peak hours — handled automatically with backoff
• Very old posts may not be available

FAQ

Is there a Weibo API?

There is no official public Weibo API available for international developers. Weibo's developer platform requires a Chinese business license and imposes strict rate limits. This Weibo Scraper is the best alternative — extract trending topics, posts, comments, and profiles without any official API access.

How much does it cost to scrape Weibo?

The Weibo Scraper costs $5 per 1,000 results (pay-per-event). Each scraped item (post, comment, trending topic, or profile) counts as one result. You can start with Apify's free plan, which includes $5 of monthly credits — enough for 1,000 data points.

Can I scrape Weibo in Python?

Yes. Install the Apify Python client (pip install apify-client), then use the ApifyClient to call the zhorex/weibo-scraper actor. See the Python code example above.

Is scraping Weibo legal?

This scraper only accesses publicly available data through Weibo's public web endpoints. It does not bypass authentication or access private/locked accounts. Always review your local laws and Weibo's terms of service before scraping.

What is the best Weibo scraper in 2026?

The Weibo Scraper by Zhorex is the only quality Weibo scraper on Apify in 2026. It supports 4 modes (hot search, post comments, search, and user posts), handles rate limits automatically, and runs without a browser or VPN.

Integrations & data export

The Weibo Scraper integrates with your existing workflow tools:

• Google Sheets — Send scraped Weibo data directly to a spreadsheet
• Zapier / Make / n8n — Automate workflows triggered by new Weibo data
• REST API — Call the actor programmatically and retrieve results via Apify's REST API
• Webhooks — Get notified when a scraping run finishes and process data in real time
• Data formats — Download results in JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS

More scrapers by Zhorex

Chinese Digital Intelligence Suite

• RedNote (Xiaohongshu) Scraper — China's Instagram + Pinterest (social commerce)
• Zhihu Scraper — China's Quora (Q&A, expert opinions)
• Bilibili Scraper — China's YouTube (video, danmaku, creator analytics)

Streaming

• Twitch Streamer & Channel Analytics — Twitch profiles, live streams, clips, and VODs
• Kick.com Streamer & Channel Analytics — Kick.com profiles, live streams, clips, and categories

B2B Reviews

• G2 Reviews Scraper — B2B software reviews and ratings

Other Tools

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• Telegram Channel Scraper — Public Telegram channel messages
• Phone Number Validator — Validate and format phone numbers
• Sneaker Price Tracker — Track sneaker prices across platforms

Support

Having issues? Open a GitHub issue or contact via Apify.

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